ABOUT US
Founders of KindCraft: Stephanie Whisner & Courtney Smith
Serving in the community is something that is very important to both of us. We wanted to share this passion with our children but finding service opportunities that our young children could participate in was no easy task. In November of 2015, we decided to give it a shot and make “no sew” blankets for Children’s Mercy South. We invited a few friends and were thrilled so many were excited to make blankets with us. By the time we were finished, we were able to take 50-60 blankets to Children’s Mercy South.
We wanted to keep the momentum going, so we decided to line up monthly service events to encourage families to stay involved. We figured if we can devote 1 night or more a week for a sport or activity, couldn’t we devote 1 day a month for serving our community?
For our January event, we lined up an opportunity to serve a local outreach, Mission Southside, with toiletry bags. We were hoping to fill 50-60 bags for them and we ended up filling 245 bags! Hundreds of people signed up to be a part of this event and the excitement grew beyond anything we ever imagined. The heart of our community to serve and teach our children the importance of compassion and service has been overwhelming. We are so blessed to be a part of something so amazing!
So why are we doing this? Why is this so important to us? It’s important to us because our kids will follow our example…and if we are being honest here, we are not always the best example. We constantly show our children the not-so-great sides of us and often wonder how we will ever get this parenting thing right. Regardless of how many times we mess up, we want our kids to know love. Not only to feel love, but how important it is to share love as well. We want our kids to know that their parents love Jesus and are following his greatest commandment, to love Him and to love others. We want them to know how blessed they are and how carefree their life is compared to others. We want them to be able to see a need in the world and be moved to do something about it. By participating in the programs and activities we have designed, we hope our youth will develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills to become competent, caring and contributing adults that make a positive difference in their communities.
Natalie Grant’s song, “Be One,” has become a mission for our families. Some of our favorite lyrics from the song are, “Why sit around and wait for a miracle to come, when we could be one!”
KINDCRAFT BOARD MEMBERS
President & Co-founder of KindCraft
Courtney Smith
KindCraft Secretary
Molly Reynolds
Co-Founder of KindCraft
Stephanie Whisner
KindCraft Treasurer
Theresa Stoker
KindCraft Merchandise Coordinator
Ashley Vardijan
KindCraft Board Member
Afton Ratzlaff
WE ARE TEACHING COMPASSION THROUGH COMMUNITY SERVICE
We are spreading kindness across the Kansas City area.
Mouse over the map below to see a sampling of the impact we've made in our community.
11,000 meals assembled
265 bare necessities bags
for Something to Eat
for the homeless population in both Kansas and Missouri and families toured the Uplift truck that serves the homeless
Taught children to show compassion to kids with disabilities such as SMA
Jadon's Hope
though a local organization called Little Light and taught our children to show compassion for families who have a kiddo with heart trouble in the hospital.
51 Care bags for inpatient children at Children's Mercy
for children who are less fortunate from all over the Metro area including kids from Title 1 schools in Olathe as well as families in Metro Lutheran Ministry’s Empowerment Program Instilled compassion for others by helping children realize not all kids have the means to books or birthday celebrations.
Assembled 450 birthday bags
KINDCRAFT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE
TESTIMONIALS
KindCraft- a beautiful space for our kids to know love. Not just know love but to share it too! To be able to see a need in the world and be moved to do something about it. Their activities and programs allow our youth to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills to become competent, caring and contributing adults that make a positive difference in their communities. From one mommy to the next, thank you for your incredible efforts to help us instill these most precious attributes in our children!
— Kristal Ronnebaum, Overland Park, KS 2/8/19